Book Club

Where and When

Book Club has two separate groups, one for Junior pupils and one for Senior pupils. This allows each group to read material that is appropriate for their age group.

Junior Book Club

The Junior Book Club is open to any pupil in Year 8 – 10 enabling them to develop their engagement and enjoyment of literature through discussion of their chosen text.

Next meeting is on the 17th November to discuss ‘Muncle Trogg’ by Janet Foxley.

Senior Book Club

The Senior Book Club is open to anyone from Year 11 upwards and the aim is to open up the world of literature, particularly the classics and develop the pupils’ enjoyment and appreciation of great literature.

Next meeting is on the 14th November to discuss “ A Kestrel for a Knave “ by Barry Hines

Highlights!

Junior Book Club visited Parliament Buildings, Stormont last year to meet the Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell who they found to be most inspiring.

Wednesday 27th April dawned bright and beautiful for Year 8 pupils Luke Wilson, Paige Swann and Rosalind Currie, not forgetting their keen English teacher, Mrs Massey as they embarked on their journey to the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings, Stormont for their eagerly anticipated talk, “The Laureate Log: Drawing you into Books and Stories” by UK Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell, an accomplished artist and the political cartoonist of the Observer.

Also a prolific writer, Chris’s books have won a number of major prizes, including the Costa Children’s Book Award 2013 for Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse. He is also the bestselling author of the Ottoline series The Emperor of Absurdia, and, with Paul Stewart, The Edge Chronicles.

Chris delivered a witty and entertaining speech which pupils found inspirational as he explained how his love of reading developed in his various school libraries – and how the librarian in particular is the gatekeeper to the library! The talk continued as Chris gave details of books that had shaped his life and developed his love of reading, for example, The Hobbit, read every day by his teacher for half an hour at the end of the school day. Through a bad bout of flu, Chris missed several chapters so he paid a visit to the school library where he borrowed a copy of the book, and despite finding the book challenging, he wanted to read it and loved it.

His best advice was: never judge a book by its cover, ironic enough considering he is not only a writer but also an illustrator of children’s fiction!

The setting of the talk, Parliament Buildings, was very impressive and Year 8 pupils left, after a Q & A, book signing and photograph, feeling inspired and determined to read a Chris Riddell novel in their next meeting of the Junior Book Club.